Advice needed please - Interview with police on Tuesday

sexyeyes83

onlyforboards wrote: »

:rolleyes: That is hardly what the OP is saying.
Every main station has someone on the front desk who is not out solving knife crime and who can easily explain an officer cannot discuss the details prior to the interview. That is why they are at the desk.

As for the people criticising the employer, yes this kind of accusation is common in care work and as such most companies have already discussed the procedure with employees before an incident arises and have written policies outlining what happens in such a circumstance. It does not sound as though this has happened in this instance.

Thank you, I think you answered that better then my reply. Im aware he cant give any information about the new information he has received, but simply explaining the procedure to someone who has never been in this situation before would have been reassuring.

Simply being told "You will be interviewed under caution, you can bring a legal representative with you however you will need to arrange this before attending as it can't be done at the station" is very daunting.

My company has no policies regarding situations like this. I thought companies offer support to employees in these type of situations, however appears I was wrong there.

sexyeyes83

onlyforboards wrote: »

Ah good, that is the worst bit sorted.

One thing the solicitor said which I dont know if it is just procedure is that I would be taken to the custody suite and arrested prior to the interview? I just had visions of going into an interview room and being read the caution.

Rain_is_Insane

It is just procedure and basically you will most likely stand at a desk while the custody officer reads you the words of the arrest. Nothing to worry about.

The part about being interviewed "under caution" refers to the fact you have been cautioned that anything you say may be taken down and given in evidence blah blah blah

Ms_Chocaholic

Just wanted to let you know that my OH was arrested a couple of years back, he'd been asked to go to the Police Station and, on arrival, was arrested and put in a cell. He kept being asked if he wanted a solicitor and said "no" (he'd never been in this position before so didn't really think he'd need one) until the Police Officer came to get him again for interview. My OH then thought best of it and asked for a solicitor.

When solicitor arrived, he spoke to OH and the most wise advice he gave was "during the interview, the Police will not be your friend" - how right he was. Police tried to make OH admit crime he had not committed. Had a solicitor not been present, heaven knows where we'd be now.

These are my wise words to you, please do not trust the Police, they WILL NOT be on your side.

onlyforboards_2

Ms_Chocaholic wrote: »

These are my wise words to you, please do not trust the Police, they WILL NOT be on your side.

No they will not, they hope to build a case towards prosecution but all you can do is take legal advice and tell the truth.

LinasPilibaitisisbatman

What a load of crap.

The police are investigating allegations, they will be independent, and fact finding.

Did you check your solicitor etc. You really should look for a good one if it goes forward. Some just want to get a court date then plead guilty so they can get the maximum legal aid. They wont necessary be as good as other solicitors.

cathryn107

LinasPilibaitisisbatman wrote: »

What a load of crap.

The police are investigating allegations, they will be independent, and fact finding.

Sadly it's not crap. I used to work for the police and believe me they are target driven and have a very low opinion of the general public.

But don't just take my word for it. Last week the George Orwell blog prize was awarded to Nightjack, a UK police detective. You might want to read his post, 'A survival guide for decent people'.

http://nightjack.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/a-survival-guide-for-decent-folk/

Always always always have a solicitor
Duh. No brainer this one. Unless you know 100% for sure that your mate the solicitor does criminal law and is good at it, ask for the Duty Solicitor. They certainly do criminal law and they are good at it. Then listen to what the solicitor says and do it. Their job is to get you off without the Cops or CPS laying a glove on you if at all possible. It is what they get paid for. They are free to you. There is no down side. Now decent folks think it makes them look like they have something to hide if they ask for a solicitor. Irrelevant. Going into an interview without a solicitor is like taking a walk in Tottenham with a big gold Rolex. Bad things are very likely to happen to you. I wouldn’t do it and I interview people for a living.


Lots of comments in response to this post, many from police officers, including this one


"Classic!!! but on a serious note I agree with you whole heartedly NJ - Always, always, always have a solicitor.
When the custody Sgt says “do you understand these rights as I have given you?
“yes”
ok, do you want a solicitor?
“do I need one? I haven’t done anything wrong”
believe me when I tell you that everyone in that custody suite is screaming in their heads “YES!!!” We don’t hear it that often but when it happens believe me, you need one."

And

“Always always always have a solicitor”
In fact I think that solicitors should be provided in all cases automatically.
As much as it pains me when solicitors exploit technicalities of the law that I somehow managed to miss when struggling to protect myself from drunken strangers who would want to cause me injury at 3am, I would feel better morally for all the decent folk who get the help they need.

The very best of luck tomorrow Sexyeyes. You have absolutely done the right thing.

Bossyboots

LinasPilibaitisisbatman wrote: »

What a load of crap.

The police are investigating allegations, they will be independent, and fact finding.

Did you check your solicitor etc. You really should look for a good one if it goes forward. Some just want to get a court date then plead guilty so they can get the maximum legal aid. They wont necessary be as good as other solicitors.

All solicitors offering police station advice are quality checked by the legal services commission and are subject to performance reviews. There is no advantage to them to get things over with quickly. It not only hurts their performance figures but their reputation locally.

Quite often I find a lot of what you say makes sense, but if you seriously believe your first sentence then you are sadly misguided.

Bossyboots

cathryn107 wrote: »

“Always always always have a solicitor”
In fact I think that solicitors should be provided in all cases automatically.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. An interview shouldn't be allowed to take place without a solicitor present but I wouldn't want to see the rights of the public to choose their own solicitor eroded any more than they have been with CDS direct so there would have to be a fine balancing act to get things right.


Good luck from me too sexyeyes.

onlyforboards_2

LinasPilibaitisisbatman wrote: »

What a load of crap.

The police are investigating allegations, they will be independent, and fact finding.

Did you check your solicitor etc. You really should look for a good one if it goes forward. Some just want to get a court date then plead guilty so they can get the maximum legal aid. They wont necessary be as good as other solicitors.

Lol, how rude! The police will not be on anyone's side because they are independent. :rolleyes:

As for your statement about solicitors you can not be sure that they will not be any good because they accept legal aid. I could put it as rudely as you did but I won't.